Kristol Uses Pirate Crisis To Argue For More Defense Spending

[laststeamtrain]

Kristol Uses Pirate Crisis To Argue For More Defense Spending

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a plan to reorient defense spending away from lucrative boondoggles for contractors and toward systems that are proven to work and are needed in present-day military situations. Conservatives immediately cried foul; Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) went so far as to claim that the Obama administration “is willing to sacrifice the lives of American military men and women for the sake of domestic programs.”

Right-wing pundit Bill Kristol was among the conservatives fearmongering about the supposed “cuts.” Following North Korea’s test launch of a missile, Kristol declared that “it is scary to have a president” talk about cutting the defense budget. “It is a very dangerous moment,” he said. Today on Bill Bennett’s radio show, Kristol said he hoped that the pirate crisis would make President Obama think twice before following through on the proposed budget reforms:

KRISTOL: Unfortunately, given the world we live in, this is not something we can skimp. And that’s another thing I hope the president realizes —

BENNETT: Budget cuts. The defense budget cuts, right?

KRISTOL: Well I hope he thinks about that. I mean, a lot of things that don’t look necessary — who needs the a big destroyer, the U.S.S. Bainbridge? Who needs Seals getting hours, weeks, months of training being snipers, isn’t that something that went out of fashion 70 years go? You can imagine people making these arguments. And it turns out, a lot of these things turn out to be important. … And I do hope it makes him sort of understand that there’s no substitute for having a strong and large military, honestly. ... http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/13/kristol-pirates-spending/
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Alright men, whatever it takes. Let's get this New American Century back on the road.

Bolton, Kristol & some of the more thoughtful people here at DU all agree.

We all say "fuck yeah".

[Median Democrat]

1. Pirate Episode Actually Supports Gates' Position, Not The Neocons

More money should be spent on training of personnel and less on cold war gizmos. The F-22 and Star Wars was not going to save the Captain. Rather, the success of the mission depended on highly trained soldiers on the ground. Yet, the Neocons would rather spend the money on military contractors, who make huge campaign contributions, rather than on training.

[Captain Hilts]

2. Well, the Navy has been cut severely under GWB in terms of hulls and people.

The USN had to get rid of 30,000 sailors in three years at one point.

The number of hulls is the lowest since before the First World War.

Norfolk's kind of empty.